hey guys. im 16 and im ready to buy my own car. i fell in love with the rx8. but now my friends are busting my ***** about the rotary engine. they say if one thing goes wrong the whole engine is shot. i need help. thanks.

 

you're too young. the rotary is awesome. your friends are morons.

 

Or a Toyota Corolla

 

tell em the 0-60 and 1/4 mile numbers

 

What about the 8 did you fall in love with? I think you can only do that after you've done your research. Seems more like an infatuation to me :-P

 

And what level of ASE certification do your friends have?

 

your friends are right!

 

Before someone beats me get a ..........Crossfire..............

 

Ignore the flames - it's mandatory for anyone under the age of 30.


I'm going to be honest: The car doesn't sound right for you.

Why?
Your introduction is severely lacking on content. The fact that you didn't bother to give any insight as to what kind of driver you are, or the extent of your automotive knowledge, and somehow expect a bunch of strangers to spell everything out about these cars for you suggests a severe lack of honed communication skills.
This, combined with your age, suggests immaturity.
In addition, you could have found the answer to your question about the engine blowing in less than 7 minutes by simply googling and reading.

Rotary engines are not something you can 'figure out as you go.' You will need to keep up on current events & issues with other owners, as well as be able to effectively communicate the events & issues with your own car. YOU DO NOT MEET THE COMMUNICATION SKILLS CRITERIA.
The RX-8 is a little tricky to drive. It has quirks and oddities, as well as special needs, all of which require an owner with enough self-dicipline to let the car do the driving. YOU DO NOT MEET THE MATURITY CRITERIA.
Due to the age of the rotary engine, virtually every imaginable problem that could occur with one has been discussed, in one way or another, on the internet. One could find out just about anything regarding RX-8s just by taking the time to read. YOU DO NOT MEET THE ATTENTION SPAN CRITERIA.

Simply put: YOU SHOULD NOT GET THIS CAR.

GO AWAY
GO DIRECTLY AWAY
DO NOT GET RX-8
DO NOT COLLECT ZOOM-ZOOM

 

get a speed protege...those are sick and there not rotary..nothing to worry about.

 

And there are people around that wonder why these cars have such poor sales in the US market.

OP feel free to PM me. I'm not the authority on these cars or motors but I'll answer any questions you have to the best of my ability or try to point you in the right direction.

 

There are only three moving parts in the rotary engine. If something were to go wrong with one, it's a big deal. So technically your friends are right. They should cherish the rare moment.

A reciprocating engine has scores of moving parts. There are ones that can fail and leave enough of the engine to rebuild.

So...would you rather roll the dice with scores of parts? Most of them jumping up and down like a pogo stick? Or go with three, just spinning smoothly?

Get the 8. And learn to say, with a shocked tone to your voice, "My God - you've got pistons?"

Ken

 

Although I didn't really agree with 1/2's flame post, I must say I'm going to add

"DO NOT COLLECT ZOOM-ZOOM"

to my sig. Priceless

GO DIRECTLY TO DODGE DEALERSHIP
DO NOT PASS SRT-4
DO NOT COLLECT ZOOM-ZOOM

Edit: Get the car if you want, your friends were right in a way, and uh, just take care of it if you decide to get one. And if you can afford to stay away from 04's, and especially 04 AT's, PLEASE DO SO. They are cursed from the factory, doens't matter if they're silver or not. They just have too many qwerks and bugs to mess with unless you have the patience.

 

Did you lnoew there's only like three moving parts?

So they're right if one thing goes wrong........... but it won't.

A piston engine has like 8,000 parts.

Did you lnow the cost of a new engine is the same as the cost of replacing a top end job on a V8?

 

I say get a Speed 3 and at least stay in the Mazda family.

 

hey man, Im 18 and I bought my RX8 1.5 years ago when I was 17. Your friends are morons, I never listen to mine. All my friends say my car is slow, but their drivings camrys, and cutlass's. Heres the deal from someone close to your age who also didnt know to much about rotaries. They are very expensive and the 04s do have alot of bugs to work out, trust me, Im on a first name basis at my dealership. If you are passionate about cars and love owning something unique that you can appreciate, the RX-8 is right for you. If you dont mind topping off your oil every 1500 miles, the RX-8 is right for you. If you like touching a redline of 9K once a day to keep the carbon out of your engine, then the RX8 is right for you. Finally, if you would get a joy out of giving the "rotary lecture" to people who ask what size 6 cylinder the RX-8 has, the RX8 is right for you. If your looking for simply 1/4 mile times and dont mind owning a dime a dozen sports car, go with the SRT-4, or a used 350Z with high miles. The RX-8 isnt meant to transport people, its meant to move them. If you can appreciate that, get an RX-8.